Ottawa-centered earthquake felt in Erie (Updated: 1:35 p.m.)

Conversation exploded on social media this morning right before 10 a.m. when Erie residents felt the ground moving underneath their feet.

"My house was rolling," said Maria McCaffrey Firkaly, of Meadville, on the GoErie Facebook page. "Watched the water in the fishbowl wave up and down."

The National Earthquake Information Center reported an earthquake occurred at 9:43 a.m. centered just 45 miles northwest of Ottawa near Shawville, Canada. The earthquake initially registered 5.0 on the Richter scale, but the National Earthquake Information Center revised that number to 4.4 shortly after it struck.

It was a shallow quake at just 6.09 miles deep, according to the National Earthquake Information Center.

A measurable aftershock was also reported, registering 3.6 on the Richter scale, said John Bellini, geophysicist at the National Earthquake Information Center in Denver. The aftershock was also shallow, reported at 3 miles deep.

"It's possible there were other smaller aftershocks, but that's the only one that registered," Bellini said. "With a 4.4, you'll have a few aftershocks in the next few days or a week or so."

After the earth moves like it did this morning, it has to get back into place, causing the aftershocks.

"When you have a larger shake, it's got to settle down," Bellini said.

No damage or injuries were reported.

The quake was felt across New York and Pennsylvania, with several Erie-area residents saying they felt it too.

Maria McCaffrey Firkaly, who was in Meadville, said she definitely felt the quake.

"My co-workers thought I was nutso," she said.

Anne S. Hickok, in Edinboro, said she didn't feel it but her daughter told her things were rattling on her shelves in Washington Township. Nicole Wienczkowski said she felt the earth shake in Union City. Dozens of others gave their locations and affirmed they felt the ground move.

Carol Langdon said she was asleep when the shaking woke her up.

"Just dozed off and it woke me up," Langdon said. "I live over by 21st and Raspberry (streets). I even called my daughter's house when it happened to ask if they felt anything strange."

Another geophysicist at the National Earthquake Information Center, Carrieann Bedwell, said calls were pouring into the office from across New York and Pennsylvania after it happened.

Bellini said a quake at this level does not happen often in the Northeast, though the Ottawa-area is considered a fairly active seismic zone.

"It's pretty rare," he said. "It's only once every other year or so that something large enough to register happens."

The Associated Press said local media outlets in northern New York have reported people in communities along the St. Lawrence River and as far east as Lake Champlain on New York-Vermont border reported feeling their homes shake.

There are also reports from residents of Buffalo and surrounding suburbs who say they felt their houses sway and the ground shake for less than one minute. Rochester and Syracuse media outlets also report that the quake was felt in those areas.

Earthquakes aren't often felt in Erie. A 5.2-magnitude quake centered in Mercer County on Sept. 25, 1998, is among the most notable recent quakes. Minor damage was reported to homes around Sharon.

Since Erie isn't close to any larger plate boundaries, the city rarely feels an earthquake.

"The cities that get a lot of earthquakes are normally on or near plate boundaries," Bellini said. "That's why your area doesn't get a lot of action."